First Mission
by Klyntaliah
Summary: Clint and Natasha's first mission alone doesn't turn out as they planned. "Trust isn't really my thing, Barton," she said dryly, finally turning her head to look at him. "It's never really worked out for me."
1. Chapter 1

**This is a story that my older sister wrote, but she doesn't have an account, so she asked me to post it. Hope you enjoy it!**

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"You've probably guessed why I have summoned you here, Barton."

"Another mission, sir?" the agent asked hopefully, approaching the desk behind which Director Fury sat.

Fury nodded and folded his hands on the surface of the desk. "Yes, but this one is going to be a little different than others you have gone on in the past." He studied Clint Barton for a moment before continuing. "Agent Romanoff has been working with Shield for almost six months now. We have been keeping close tabs on her and she seems to be adjusting well. I think it is time to take things to the next step."

Clint frowned slightly. "What do you mean? What's the next step?"

"I am sending Agent Romanoff with you on this mission, but she will be the only one accompanying you."

Clint raised his eyebrows. "Wait... you mean... we'll be alone?"

"That's the idea," Fury said dryly. "I think it's time to gradually give Romanoff more trust and freedom around here. And I think you're the man to break her in. This is just a trial run. If things don't go well, I'll try something else."

Working his jaw, Clint listened expressionlessly.

"What do you say, Barton?" Fury asked after a moment of silence.

Clint sighed and crossed his arms. "I guess I'm open to giving it a try," he said slowly.

Fury nodded and leaned back in his chair. "Good. I hoped you would feel comfortable with my plan, since you have been on several missions together for the past few months."

Clint nodded, but said nothing. In truth, he felt far from comfortable with this arrangement. Agent Romanoff was like a puzzle to him, except with a few pieces missing, so that it wasn't quite possible to put her together however hard you tried. With her tangled red hair and dark piercing eyes, her face seemed to act as a mask, concealing everything behind it and shrouding her thoughts with indifference, sarcasm and insulting comments. In short, she bewildered him.

Moments later, Natasha Romanoff strode into the room, her chin raised with expectancy. "Director Fury, you summoned me," she said.

"I did, Miss Romanoff. I'm assigning you and Agent Barton on a mission. Should only take a day or so."

She nodded, waiting for the details.

"Before I go on, you should know that this is the first mission that you and Barton are doing alone. I'm not sending any other agents along, only the two of you."

Clint kept his eyes trained straight ahead on Fury, but felt the cold gaze of the Black Widow as her eyes shifted towards him momentarily.

"What's the assignment?" she asked evenly.

Fury cleared his throat and crossed his arms. "It's like this," he began. "You remember Shield agent, Abraham Arriaga? He went missing a few weeks ago under very strange circumstances, along with several important scientific files. Didn't show up at headquarters when he was supposed to and a search for him proved unsuccessful, and he wouldn't answer any of our attempts to contact him. We began a search immediately and have just located him today. Turns out the scumbag thought it would be a good idea to use the files and information he gained through Shield for his own purposes and mistakenly thought he could hide from us in Canada. We don't know exactly what he plans to do with those files, but we know where he is, and he needs to be brought back as soon as possible."

"So we aren't being sent to kill him, just bring him back as a prisoner?" Natasha asked. Clint thought he detected a touch of disappointment in her tone.

"That's right, Romanoff. I need him back here in one piece. I want to speak to him personally to find out what he did with the information and make sure it hasn't been passed on to anyone else."

"Should we try to locate the files and bring them back too?" Clint asked.

"I don't think Arriaga will let them stray too far from his side, so if you can find them quickly, by all means. However, don't let the search for the files delay you. I need him here as soon as you can manage. Is this clear?"

Clint nodded his assent.

"Ok, here's where our friend is hiding," Fury said, turning a screen towards the agents with a map of Canada displayed. He indicated a small town in northern Saskatchewan.

"I'm sending you on a private jet in about an hour. No place to land the craft out there, just dirt roads, so the jet will land about an hour's drive from Arriaga's hideout. I have an agent waiting there with a vehicle for you to take to the destination. Just make sure you're at the hideout by ten tonight. If our information is correct, that's when he'll show up, then it will be up to you to do your thing and get him over here. I anticipate you'll be back by tomorrow morning. Now are there any questions?"

"What if we are in danger, what if he threatens us?" Natasha pressed. "Then do we have permission to defend our-"

"Miss Romanoff, there will be no lives taken on this mission. It is vital that he gets here alive. Our tracing of the files has been sketchy at best so I will need to get all of the information I can from him. And one more thing. I am placing Barton responsible of this mission. What he says goes. Remember, you're working for Shield now, not yourself. Make sure you're on the same page with each other, or this mission with be a mess. Now both of you get out of here. You leave in precisely forty-five minutes."


	2. Chapter 2

Clint strode out to the jet that was waiting for him outside Shield's headquarters, holding a small duffel-bag and his bow, a quiver of arrows slung over his back. He handed his possessions to the attendant and stepped into the jet.

Inside, he slid into a bench across from Natasha resting his feet on the low table in front of him.

"Cutting it a little close, Barton," Natasha observed coolly.

"Yeah well, I'm not late and that's what matters," he replied. "Why arrive early when you don't have to?"

Natasha didn't reply, turning her head to look out the window as the humming of the engine grew louder and the small jet lurched gently into motion. It slowly lifted off the ground and its nose pointed upwards towards the clear, blue sky.

"So. The mission. What do you think?" Clint asked. He realized this was the first time they had really been alone together. Usually there were other agents accompanying them and back at headquarters, they didn't exactly make it a point to hang out together. He found the silence a little uncomfortable.

Natasha shrugged in response. "Routine. Nothing unusual about it."

"Arriaga is clearly an idiot, thinking he can betray Shield and get away with it," Clint shook his head. "The blockhead doesn't know who he's up against. Less than a year on the job and he blew it."

"Goes to show you there aren't too many people you can trust, even if you think you can," Natasha said in a low voice.

Clint raised his eyes and looked at her quizzically. "I don't know," he said thoughtfully. "I mean if you can't trust someone, that's not gonna get you too far once you realize you're on your own."

"Trust isn't really my thing, Barton," she said dryly, finally turning her head to look at him. "It's never really worked out for me."

Clint grunted, at loss for a response, and fell silent.

The flight was a short one, and in less than two hours, the jet was easing onto a runway in Saskatchewan, Canada, arriving at its destination right on schedule. As Clint and Natasha stepped out onto the landing pad, a professional-looking man with a black suit and sunglasses approached.

"Agent Barton, Agent Romanoff," he greeted them seriously.

"Sir," Clint nodded. "Where is the car we'll be taking up to Stony Rapids?"

He indicated a camouflage jeep parked nearby and beckoned them to follow him. "Put your bags in the back compartment," he said. "You'll find everything you need inside, including a map to your destination. There's a rain storm on the way so you'd best get a move on. Those dirt trails are something awful to maneuver through in wet weather."

"Let's go, Romanoff," Clint said, opening the door and climbing into the driver's seat. "We have work to do."

Natasha climbed into the passenger seat and slammed the door behind her. Turning on the vehicle, Clint pressed his foot on the gas pedal and the wheels spun furiously against the ground as the jeep sped into high gear. Directing the jeep off the landing pad, he followed a side road out to a dirt trail, lined by trees on both sides.

"I think it's time we come up with a general plan of before we arrive," Clint said.

"We'll have plenty of time once we get there and scope things out."

"Yeah, I said a general plan. We'll form a more detailed one once we arrive. But we need to have some sort of plan beforehand. Once we get to the hideout, we'll have about two hours before Arriaga arrives at his place. Time to find the hideout and scope things out and hopefully find the files. Then we can find a stakeout location and wait for him there. Hopefully things will go as smoothly as Fury anticipates and we'll have him in custody. We can keep him tied up and head back right away. No need to stay the night anywhere."

Natasha grunted, then looked out the window up at the sky. "The agent was right, looks like rain."

"Hope you brought your umbrella and galoshes," Clint said, trying to lighten the mood. All he got in reply was an unappreciative look thrown in his direction.

It wasn't long before drops of rain began to pelt against the windshield. The grey, clouded skies grew darker as late afternoon changed to evening and with it, the rain came with more intensity. The trees grew thicker as the dirt road led them deeper into the forest and darkness surrounded the small vehicle. Driving became more difficult and slow going as the rain-soaked roads changed to mud. Clint kept a steady hand on the wheel and his eyes were trained on the road ahead.

"Almost there," he said. "It should only be a half a mile-" he cut off as the wheels began spinning in the thick mud. He cursed under his breath.

"Don't tell me we're walking half a mile in pouring rain with mud up to our knees," Natasha said with exasperation.

"Not walking," Clint said shortly. "Running. It's nine o'clock, we have an hour and we're already behind schedule. Get your stuff and let's get a move-on." He turning off the engine and opened the door.

Both agents stepped out of the car and pulled their supplies out of the back of the jeep.

"So much for 'no complications,'" Natasha grumbled.

"Will you stop being such a whiner and get a move on?" Clint snapped. "This is not the worse situation we have been in and you know it. Now come on."

Natasha set her jaw and took off sprinting into the woods behind her partner. She mumbled under her breath to herself as they made their way as quickly, but cautiously, as possible over the slippery ground, raindrops falling from the branches overhead. The archer was right about one thing, even though she would never tell him. Heck, it was just rain and a little mud. It wasn't the conditions that were making her complain, it was her partner himself. He was usually tolerable on missions, but now that Fury had put him in charge of the mission, he was acting so unnervingly cocky. Who was he to order her around? She was the freaking Black Widow, for heaven's sake, and he was just a measly spy who fought his opponents by shooting them with pointy sticks.

Stopping abruptly behind Clint, Natasha's thoughts were cut short by the halting of her partner. She looked past him at a small shack, hidden in the trees.

"That's our place," Clint said.

"You don't say," Natasha said, brushing past him.

"Wait - where are you going?"

"Up to the shack, gosh Barton did you forget why we're here already?"

"I just want to make a plan first."

"Well you make your stupid little plan. I'm going to scout things out."

"Natasha, we're supposed to be a team, remember?"

She ignored him, and was already trudging her way through the mud towards the shack.

"Wait," Clint hollered, quickening his steps to catch up with her. He reached out and grabbed her arm. She tried to pull it away, but his grip was firm and he spun her around and pressed her back against a wet tree.

"Listen. Whatever we do, it needs to happen as a team or not at all. I swear I'm not trying to lead this thing, I don't care how we do this, as long as we're on the same page, like Fury said. And I'll prove it to you. You call the shots. You give the next move, ok? I don't care what it is, but preferably something to get us out of this waterfall."

Scowling, Natasha shoved him away from her, loosening her shoulders from his grip. She crossed her arms and looked at him. "Alright, fine. Here's what we're doing. We break into the shack and look for the files. We'll only have a few minutes, who knows when our pal gets back. Then we wait outside for him because once he goes in, he'll see our muddy prints everywhere and make a break for it."

"Let's do it."


	3. Chapter 3

The two spies sloshed through the puddles of mud and rain water until they reached the shack. Clint pushed against the door and it swung open without any trouble. Natasha stepped inside and shone a flashlight around the small, run-down building.

"Well this shouldn't take long," she said.

Clint stepped in and peered inside. The shack was empty except for a mat on the floor on the corner, and table with a few belongings on it. As he went over to the mattress, dripping mud and water all over the filthy wood floor, his partner went to the table and shuffled through the belongings.

"Nothing," she said after a quick review of the items.

"Same over here," Clint said. He scanned the floorboards, looking for one that might be loose. "We should get out of here and find a place to stakeout. Arriaga must have the files with him."

Natasha went to the mattress and pulled the tattered blanket and small mat off the floor. "He won't be needing these anymore, but we might," she said. Clint raised an eyebrow, but followed her out of the hut and into the dark rainy night once again. They found a small enclosure between two bushes. Natasha threw the mat on the ground between them, then tossed the blanket over the two bushes to as to provide a sort of shelter. Then she ducked inside and sat cross-legged.

Sighing, Clint slung his bow and arrows underneath the canopy, then ducked underneath. The enclosure was small and the two spies tried their best to keep to their own space, with minimal shoving and jabbing at each other.

Thankfully, they did not have to wait very long before a light could be seen bobbing through the trees. Clint spotted it first and watched as it slowly became more visible through the falling rain.

"When he gets a few steps from the door, we both rush him and secure him," Clint said in a low voice. Natasha nodded, keeping her eyes on the dark figure.

As he stepped into the clearing, both froze. It wasn't one man, but three to stepped into sight.

"What, we didn't sign up for this," Natasha said frustrated.

"Ok, new plan, quickly before they go in," Clint said hurriedly.

"Easy, we kill the other two."

"Fury said no-"

"Well Fury didn't know he'd have visitors," Natasha hissed.

"Ok well I don't know about you but I can't tell which one is our man, not when they all have hoods covering their faces and they have their backs turned. Quick - they're about to go in!"

"Listen, I have a plan. Just follow behind."

"Wait we-" Clint was cut off as his partner darted from under the tent and ran stealthily towards the shack, which the three men were only paces from entering. He scrambled to his feet and snatched his weapons off the ground. Running to catch up, he watched as she leapt onto the back of one of the men, and Clint heard a yell as he fell to the ground. The other two men turned around and saw her, and with fright filling their eyes turned to run. But she grabbed one around his neck and flipped him to the ground. By this time, Clint had reached the scene and grabbed the third man, throwing him to the ground. Then, he turned to Natasha who was standing over one of her victims, looking down at the moaning, grovelling man.

"There," she said. "None dead. Now let's find our man and get out of here."

"Romanoff, listen," Clint began with irritation.

"Not now, Barton," she snapped. "Let's finish the job."

He sighed and looked down at the three men groaning at their feet.

"There," he said, pointing to a dark haired man at Natasha's feet. She knelt and roughly unzipped his jacket. A folder was hidden inside his jacket.

"I'll take those, Arriaga," she said, ripping them from the pocket.

"We'll need to take all three back to headquarters," Clint said. "Fury will probably want to talk to each of them."

Natasha nodded. She opened a small pack at her side and tossed Clint a pair up handcuffs. He turned and bent down, rolling his captive onto his back and securing his hands behind him.

While he was turned, he suddenly heard a shuffling noise just behind him. He whirled around to find himself face to face with a snarling Arriaga. A knife blade was being held just under his chin.

Forgetting his own captive, he grabbed Arriaga's wrists and shoved him to the ground, the knife falling into a puddle of mud. But Arriaga was more of an opponent than he had bargained for. He tore his wrists from the archer's grasp and clutched his shoulders, wrenching Clint to the ground and pinning him underneath his sturdy body. Stunned by the force of hitting the ground, Clint gasped for air and tried to reorient himself. The next thing he knew, Arriaga had pulled a gun from his jacket and aimed it between Clint eyes.

BANG

An explosion, right beside his face. Clint lay frozen in place, the sound reverberating through his ears. He reached up and gingerly touched his face. Everything seemed to be in place. There was no blood. He shook his head, his ears still ringing from the sound. Then he bolted up from the ground. Arriaga was lying next to him, a gaping hole in his forehead and blood running out of it. He turned around. Natasha was just putting her gun back.

"Natasha!" he scrambled to his feet and looked down at Arriaga. "NATASHA!" he yelled, turning and facing his partner. "What the - he is not supposed to be dead, you idiot, what did you do."

"Listen, I turned my back for a second and next thing I knew he was holding a gun to your head. I didn't have time to think, it was instinct. You should be thanking me!"

"Thanking y- Romanoff, are you even thinking about what you did?" His voice rising until he was shouting in her face. "I don't care about your stupid instinct, there is always time to think if you try. You blew it Romanoff, this mission is officially a disaster and Fury is going to skin you alive when we get back. Arriaga is not supposed to be dead, he's-" Clint sputtered with exasperation, his voice growing hoarse. turned and looked at the lifeless body of the former Shield agent and moaned with exasperation.

"Why does it even matter to you that I shot him?" said Natasha defiantly. "Fury gets mad at me, so what? What does that have to do with you?"

"It matters because this was both of our mission, not just yours. And it doesn't matter who screwed up, the point is, we were ordered to bring back Arriaga alive, and now look at him."

This time, Natasha was silent. Clint hoped she was finally understanding the gravity of her action. He took a few steps back without releasing her from his stare, and took a deep breath.

"Alright," he finally said, his voice dropping to a lower, but still severe tone. "You get those two secured. I'm taking care of him," he indicated Arriaga.

For once, Natasha did as he told her without protest.


	4. Chapter 4

A few hours later, after a long trek over mud covered trails, dripping wet and filthy, and a slow drive back to the Saskatchewan base, Clint and Natasha climbed onto the jet, securing the two prisoners in a section at the rear.

"Blast it all," Clint said as he finally collapsed onto the bench. "Fury will have your head, Romanoff."

She didn't reply, but slumped onto her bench. Her hair clung to the sides of her dirt-streaked face and her brows were furrowed with frustration.

Clint peeled his wet gloves off his hands and tossed them onto the floor. Then he leaned his head back and closed his eyes. For the first time in hours, he finally began to diffuse, and he felt the anger that was boiling inside gradually simmer down. At length, he opened his eyes and looked at his partner. She hadn't moved since they took off half an hour ago and still stared out the window blankly.

Sighing, Clint sat up and studied her for a minute. Then he said, "Listen, Romanoff. You haven't been on enough missions to know this yet, but if you go against orders, that's kind of a big deal. Fury is not going to be happy. And when Fury is not happy, you'd better watch out. He won't hesitate to chew you up and spit you out, and it's not pretty. That's why he's not going to find out what actually happened."

Natasha frowned. "Oh, right, like we can somehow hide the fact that Arriaga is dead," she said sourly.

"No, not like that. I meant we're going to tweak the facts a little. There was a struggle and I'm the one that shot him, not you. We're both armed with Shield's weapons so it's not like they can trace the bullet and prove us wrong."

Natasha turned her head and looked at Clint, bewildered. "And why on earth would you want to do that? Don't think I can handle a few harsh words from Fury? Well you're wrong."

"It's not that," Clint replied. "This has to do with trust, Romanoff. Fury has known me for years. He trusts me. But you, he's only known for a few months. If he finds out you did this, that's going to mess things up for you, more than it will for me. I make a mistake on a mission, he gets angry but he'll get over it. You make a mistake, and that's a lot more serious because you haven't been able to gain much trust from him yet, especially after everything you've done against Shield in your past. See what I'm saying?"

She turned her head and looked at him, her brows knitted together.

"And if he finds out?"

"He won't."

Rolling her eyes, Natasha said, "I'm not letting you cover for me."

"Just trust me on this one, for once. Trust may not be your thing in the past, but that's gonna have to change someday."

Natasha pressed her lips together. "Ok, fine."

A few hours later, the agents walked into Fury's office at Shield's headquarters. He looked up as they walked in.

"We wrote out the reports, but there's something we have to tell you in person," Clint said, standing in front of the desk.

Fury frowned, sensing trouble.

"We found Arriaga, but he wasn't alone. He had a few cohorts with him. After a bit of a struggle, we were able to subdue them. Only problem is... Arriaga's dead."

Fury slammed his hand on the desk and stood up. "What?!" he said severely. "I gave clear orders, Barton."

"I know, sir. Things didn't go as we planned. There was a struggle that ended with Arriaga getting a bullet through the brains. His body is at the Saskatchewan base."

Fury crossed his arms and looked from Clint to Natasha, who was watching him silently.

"How did this happen, which of you did this."

"I did," Clint said. "We were struggling against all three of them and he was on top of me. It happened before I could think about what to do."

"Oh really?" Fury said, his voice rising with his temper. "Couldn't you have just shot to injure him instead of right into the brains? I have a hard time thinking this was your only option, Barton. You are a professional, there are no excuses for lapses in judgement from you. I can't believe this happened, Barton, I needed to speak with Arriaga and thought I was clear about that." He stared in to the archers eyes with his own. Even though one of his eyes was hidden behind a black patch, Clint could practically feel that one boring into him too. After several long moments, he was finally released from the icy glare.

"Get out of here, idiot, both of you get out of here. I'll talk to you later about this, Barton," Fury said.

Clint turned and left the room, Natasha just behind.

"Well, that wasn't too bad," she said once the door had closed behind them.

"Oh, this isn't the end of it," Clint laughed dryly. "He's hardly gotten started. But he'll get over it. At least we got the files and Arriaga's pals. It should be enough to clear this thing up."

He turned to go back to his room and take a shower, but was stopped by Natasha's grip on his arm. He turned to look at her.

"I don't really know why you did that, but thanks... I guess."

"Yeah sure. Thanks for saving my life. I guess."

She smirked.

"I know you're not used to this whole trust thing, Natasha, and that's ok. But I just want you to know, I've got your back."

When he said that, her face softened, and she almost smiled. Almost. With that, she turned and went down the hall towards her room. Clint watched her thoughtfully as she left. He could have been mistaken, but for a brief moment, it seemed like she had let down the barrier she was always hiding behind, just for a moment. He saw something else there, besides bitterness and disgust. What could it be? Only time would tell.


End file.
